Five of the closing stores are Metro Detroit locations (complete list below).

Beginning Thursday, May 23, ACO will launch product liquidation sales at each of the 14 locations. A closing date for each location has not yet been determined, the company said.

After the the 14 outlets are shuttered, ACO will have 52 locations in Michigan, spanning from Detroit north to Bay City and west to Battle Creek.

ACO Chief Financial Officer Mark VandenBerg told MLive Wednesday that shedding the under-performing locations will position the company for future expansion. “That would be our plan down the road,” he said. “We’ll concentrate on the 52 remaining stores, and grow with more stores from there.”

ACO President and CEO Dick Snyder said in a statement, "To ensure our long term growth and sustainability, we must always strive to manage our costs and allocate resources to areas of our business that make a meaningful contribution to our financial performance. This plan keeps us on that course. It will ultimately strengthen our position within the marketplace. It gives us the ability to redirect investment to the stores that offer the greatest potential for development, and the flexibility to pursue new opportunities as they arise.”